I'm from Coventry, VT originally
! I agree with you on both accounts; RWD cars suck in the winter and I couldn't imagine subjecting a Type-R to one of our winters. I can barely tolerate subjecting my GTI to winter driving. A FWD summer car just seems silly.
The Golfs are, at heart, cars with a great deal of utility, and the sportiness is added on the GTIs and Rs without much frippery, like wings and side moldings and whatnot, so they both work well in the winter and don't look dumb doing it! Some cars simply don't adapt well to snow tires, winter wheels, or lots of powder and slush. The more gimcrackery on the car, the less suitable it is for the winter, IMO, and this is the same for the lower it is. My R is at about the lowest point I'd want for either the roads here (rough and cracked, and I live on a dirt road) or the winter.
If I was lucky enough to have the garage space (and, um, money) to have a second, summer-only car, it would definitely be RWD.
